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Jorja Smith

Jorja Smith

ALL ARTIST INFO IS PULLED FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA.
IF YOU REPRESENT THIS ARTIST AND WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY YOUR PAGE OR UPDATE THE INFO, Click Here
birthday
11th
June, 1997
Birth Place
West Midlands, England
Birth Sign
gemini
Biography

Jorja Alice Smith was born on 11 June 1997 in Walsall, West Midlands, England. The 24-year-old British singer and songwriter has been releasing music since 2016, but she first gained attention in 2012 when a friend uploaded a video of her performing to YouTube. This video was spotted by Guy Moot, a notable producer, who helped get Jorja signed to the label Sony/ATV Records. 

Want to learn all the details about the best new artist in hip-hop? Jorja Smith’s life and career? We’ve got them right here.

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instruments played
Vocals
Genres

R&B pop Neo Soul grime

Labels

FAMM Decca Warner Chappell Music

Occupation

Singer-songwriter

Website

jorjasmith.com

Years Active

2016 present

Name

Jorja Smith

Wiki Link

Jorja’s Early Life

Jorja was born to a Jamaican father and an English mother. Peter, her father, has a knack for music and was previously a member of the group 2nd Naicha, a neo-soul act band. Jorja has one younger brother named Luca.  From an early age, Jorja’s parents encouraged her to pursue music. She started taking piano lessons when she was eight and began writing her own songs just a few years later. Her parents and teachers quickly noticed that she was a musical prodigy, and she was granted a scholarship at Aldridge School, a prestigious English secondary school. She was destined to be a musician.  There, she continued to expand her knowledge of music and received classical vocal training. In addition, Jorja learned how to play the oboe while she was in school at Aldridge. 

Getting Discovered

When Jorja was a teenager (just 15 years old), she caught the attention of Guy Moot, who went on to become her manager. Moot got Jorja linked up with Maverick Sabre and Ed Thomas, two notable songwriters. Not long after, the two started mentoring Jorja, helping her hone her songwriting skills.  After turning 18 and graduating from Aldridge, Jorja decided to move to London to pursue a career in music. She worked in a cafe to pay the bills, all the while constantly writing new material. 

Jorja’s First Single: “Blue Lights” 

Rather than a debut EP or mixtape, she started off with a single. On February 25, 2016, Jorja released “Blue Lights,” her first single ever, via FAMM. The track was produced by Ben Joyce and Engine Earz, and it features samples from Guy Bonnet and Roland Romanelli’s song “Amour, emoi… et vous” and Dizzie Rascal’s “Sirens.” Smith posted the single on her Soundcloud account, and it quickly went viral on the platform. Several major British radio stations picked it up and put it on heavy rotation. Just two years after its release, Jorja was in America performing the song on late-night TV for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live (hopefully one of many more guest appearances to come).  “Blue Lights” was certified Gold in France and Silver in the UK. The track was also nominated for a UK Music Video Award for Best Urban Video, which Jorja won.  On International Women’s Day in 2017, Smith released a song called ‘beautiful little fools’, which takes inspiration from The Great Gatsby novel. 

Lost & Found: The Debut Album 

Jorja already has a growing discography. On June 8, 2018, Jorja released her debut full-length studio album, Lost & Found. Produced by Cadenza, Charlie Perry, Ed Thomas, Felix Joseph, Jason Pounds, JEff Kleinman, Joel Compass, Ben Joyce, Maaike Lebbing, Micahel Uzowuru, Tom Misch, and Engine Earz, the album was a massive success, garnering praise from fans and critics alike.  Lost & Found was featured on numerous Best of 2018 lists, including those published by Clash, Complex UK, Crack Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, and PopMatters. The record was later certified Gold in France and the United Kingdom.  Lost & Found’s release was supported by multiple singles, including “Blue Lights,” “Where Did I Go?,” “Teenage Fantasy,” “February 3rd,” and more. 

Be Right Back: Jorja’s Most Recent EP 

Jorja Smith has currently released three EPs, and her most recent, Be Right Back, serves as a prelude to her upcoming sophomore album. The EP was produced by Ed Thomas, Joel Compass, Rahki, Gitty, Karl Banx, and Charlie J. Perry, and released via FAMM. After its release, Be Right Back hit the top of the UK R&B Albums Chart and held down Top 10 slots on the British Albums and Independent Albums charts. It’s the most successful of her three EPs—the others, Project 11 and Spotify Singles, failed to hit the charts.  Since the release of Be Right Back in May of this year, fans have been feverishly anticipating Jorja’s return with another full-length record.

Jorja as a Featured Artist

Smith has appeared on songs by several notable artists in a wide array of genres. Her feature credits include:
  • “Jorja Interlude” and “Get It Together” by Drake, from his 2017 album More Life
  • “Location (Remix)” by Khalid and Wretch 32
  • “I Am,” a song featured on Black Panther: The Album, the companion record for the Marvel Cinematic Universe film of the same name
  • “Gum Body” by Burna Boy, from the 2019 record African Giant
In addition, Jorja has contributed songs to the soundtracks for A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon and Rapman Presents: Blue Story.  What's next for this up and coming, best British female artist? Perhaps a Brit Critics’ Choice Award, the Mobo awards, a Grammy nomination for best newcomer, the Brit Awards, or a killer collaboration (Adele and Sade, we’re looking at you). Only time will tell!

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